I’m of two minds about Beastars volume 5. While I loved all the action throughout the issue I am deeply troubled by the handling Haru’s character. I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for Haru to have more character exploration since we were introduced to her, but I didn’t appreciate how Paru Itagaki handled her character throughout this installment.

Beastars Vol. 5 follows the events of Haru’s kidnapping by the Shishigumi (basically the lion Yakuza). Determined to rescue Haru, Legoshi storms the den after the Mayor refuses to upset the “peace” of the city.

In this issue, Haru gets kidnapped and through that trauma unpacks and explains to the audience her relationship with men as a tiny herbivore. While this was exactly the kind of content I was asking for in the last 3 volumes I’m upset that it took kidnapping and assault for Haru to get chapters dedicated to her. What makes this even more disappointing is that what Itagaki had to say about Haru was interesting. Haru uses sex to get people and men, in particular, to see her as more than just a frail, infantilized bunny. Throughout the series, Itagaki has had genuine empathy for why Haru makes the choices she does and never slut-shames her for it. So the fact that we had to see Haru processing all of this while being assaulted was genuinely upsetting. The way Itagaki depicted Haru’s assault was unnecessarily graphic and uncomfortable. Haru was distinctly sexualized while being assaulted and the fact that her naked body was framed sexually at all during those encounters was really gross.

Despite that, there were still things I enjoyed about this volume. Itagaki’s fight scenes throughout the book were dynamic and incredibly fun to read. I adore her art style and this issue, in particular, had an abundance of drop-dead gorgeous two-page spreads. The way Itagaki draws motion and violence will always be incredibly eye-catching and Legoshi’s fight with the lions of the Shishigumi was incredibly satisfying. I also really loved the moment Louis got at the very end of the volume. I’ll always love seeing Louis in action and the various twists and turns his character is going in are so interesting.

While I don’t think Haru was done justice in this volume, the way Legoshi unpacked his feeling for Haru throughout the story was fantastic. Itagaki conveys the intense feelings Legoshi has for Haru incredibly well. Their relationship is so fascinating because Itagaki addresses that Legoshi’s feelings for Haru aren’t simple love. This volume clearly shows that Legoshi’s desire for Haru is simultaneously animalistic craving, a desire to possess, and a desire to have Haru “fix him”. But despite this Legoshi’s feeling can still feel innocent and pure. At this point in the story, I have no idea whether these two’s relationship will crash and burn or somehow come out unscathed but I’m certain it’ll be an entertaining ride.

Overall while I’m disappointed in the way Haru was treated in this volume I’m still completely enraptured by Paru Itagaki’s storytelling. I hope that Haru gets more time to unpack her particular trauma outside of being sexualized and separate from her romantic relationships. I’m excited to see how this arc will end and the fallout and reveals that are sure to come in volume 6.